Mechanisms for dumping hot-metal cars



June 19, 1962 P. L. SAYRE ETAL 3,039,627

MECHANISMS FOR DUMPING HOT-METAL CARS Filed April 22, 1959 Tia. l.

3 SheetsSheet l INVENTORS 2401 4. 54m: 2055mm D/EC/(M/M/ BY M/TCHHrfZf/lVM/M/ June 19, 1962 P. SAYRE ET AL 3,039,627

MECHANISMS FOR DUMPING HOT-METAL CARS Filed April 22, 1959 3Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTORS P401 1. 54m:-

meszr W. D/EOK/WAA/ BY M/TCWEL A! E/A/MAN June 19, 1962 P. L. SAYRE ETAL MECHANISMS FOR DUMPING HOT-METAL CARS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April22, 1959 INVENTORS P401 1.

United States 3,039,627 MECHANISMS FOR DUMPING HOT-METAL CARS Paul L.Sayre, Wilmette, Ill., and Robert W. Dieckman, Garden City, and MitchelKleinman, Brooklyn, N.Y.,

assignors to M. H. Treadwell Company, Inc., New

This invention relates to hot-metal cars such as are used to transportmolten metal. Such cars are mobile, enabling them to be utilized, forexample, to transport molten metal between remote points as, forexample, between iron and steel furnaces and between such a furnace anda point where the molten metal is to be poured from the car in a castingor other operation. More particularly, this invention relates toimproved hot-metal cars and to an improved method and improved means forrotating the tank or ladle of such a car about a horizontal axis. Suchrotation may be through 360 to facilitate servicing, but such rotationusually would occur between a charging position in which the mouth ofthe ladle faces upwardly to receive molten metal thereinto and adischarging or dumping position wherein the ladles mouth facesdownwardly toward one side of the car to discharge molten metaltherefrom. Such means for rotating the tank or ladle of the car aresometimes hereinafter referred to for convenience as dumping means ormechanisms.

Hot-metal cars hitherto have been provided having a hollow elongate tank(hereinafter referred to as a ladle) for receiving and transporting hotmetal, said ladle being mounted at its opposite ends upon car trucks,somewhat like the trucks utilized on railway cars. Thus, the ladleconstitutes the body of the hot-metal car. By providing trunnions atopposite ends of the ladle and by providing bearings on each of thetrucks to receive the trunnions and thus support the ladle, the latteris rendered rotatable about a horizontal axis to bring the mouth of theladle either into an upper or charging position to receive molten metalor into a somewhat lower or dumping position to discharge metal. Themetal carried in such cars constitutes a very substantial weight so thatthe car itself must be more or less correspondingly heavy and sturdy.

Prior to the present invention, however, it has also been customary toprovide, on one of the trucks of the car, a motor and gear mechanism forthe purpose of rotating the cars ladle about its longitudinal axis tofacilitate servicing of the car and to enable molten metal to be chargedthereinto or therefrom. Such motors and gear arrangements, inthemselves, are of very substantial weight and thus considerablyaggravate the weight problems attendant upon the use of such a hot-metalcar.

Also, the motor and gear-dumping mechanisms heretofore provided onhot-metal cars have been usable, of course, only with the particular carof which they were an integral part; so that the cost of producing eachof such cars included, in addition to other factors, the cost ofproducing the dumping mechanism. Additionally, as with all machinery,the mentioned dumping mechanism requires occasional service and suchservice costs have been a part of the total cost of maintaining each ofthe described prior types of hot-metal cars. Often, also, a

"atent Patented June 19, 1962 need for servicing of the dumpingmechanism would put the car as a whole out of service for some time.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of acombination of apparatus wherein only a single dumping mechanism need beprovided for use with a plurality of hot-metal cars.

Another important object is the provision of hot-metal cars ofsubstantially reduced weight or which, if of about the same weight asprior hot-metal cars, would be capable of carrying a materially greateramount of hot metal.

Another important object is the provision of separate dumping apparatuswhich may be brought very quickly into dumping coaction with the ladleof a hot-metal car.

These and other objects are achieved by the present invention of whichtwo embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings without, however,limiting the invention to those particular embodiments.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, side elevatoinal view of somewhat more thanone-half of a hot-metal car usable as a part of apparatus according tothis invention, the end of the car which is not shown beingsubstantially similar to the end of the car which is illustrated in thedrawing.

FIG. 2 is a vertical, cross-sectional view of said hotmetal carsubstantially on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 but showing, also, in the sameplane, dumping apparatus, according to a first embodiment of thisinvention, disposed within a pit beneath the tracks upon which thehot-metal car rides and comes to rest to permit dumping.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, vertical, sectional view of said tank-dumpingapparatus substantially on the line 3- -3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a vertical, cross-sectional view of such a hot-metal car,together with dumping apparatus, according to a second embodiment ofthis invention, disposed alongside the tracks supporting the hot-metalcar; this figure being substantially on the line 4-4 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the dumping apparatus shown in FIG.4 as viewed from the right side of the latter figure.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal, sectional view substantially on the line 6-6 ofFIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a mechanism for locking ahot-metal cars ladle in its upright or charging position.

The principal part of the dumping mechanism of the first embodiment,illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, is designed for disposition beneath a trackupon which the hot-metal car runs. In this arrangement, the dumpingmechanism, disposed almost entirely in a pit 10 beneath tracks '12 onwhich the car rests, comprises a suitably driven spur gear 14 which isadapted to mesh with and drive a rotary transmission member shown as aring gear 16 suitably fixed upon and about an intermediate portion of ahotmetal tank 18. This tank constitutes the body or (as it is moregenerally known) the ladle of the car. The opposite ends of the ladleare provided with trunnions 20 (only one being shown) suitablysupported, similarly, in bearings 22, 24 on a horizontal plate 26,suitably pivoted at a point 28, upon a more or less conventional cartruck 30 which, of course, runs on the tracks 12.

The spur gear 14 is a part of a transmission train driven by a suitablemotor 32, said train consisting of a first sprocket 34 suitably keyedupon a power take-01f shaft of said motor, a continuous driving chain 36working upon the sprocket 34 and on a second sprocket 38 to drive thelatter. The sprocket 38 is suitably keyed to a fixed-axis shaft 40suitably borne in a bracket or stand 42. Keyed to the same shaft 40 is athird sprocket 44 which, through a sprocket chain 46, is adapted todrive a fourth sprocket 48 which is keyed to a shaft 50 borne at anintermediate point of a pair of swing arms 52 or, more specifically, inlower or base portions of brackets 54 which are rigidly fixed to andextend upwardly from the arms 52. Also keyed to the shaft 50 is a fifthsprocket 56 which, through a sprocket chain 58, drives a sixth sprocket60 which is suitably keyed to a shaft 62 borne in and toward the upperends of brackets 54.

The spur gear 14, which meshes with and drives the ring gear 16, is alsokeyed to the shaft 62, whereby the spur gear 14 actuates the ring gear16 and thereby rotates the ladle 18 between an upright or chargingposition as shown in FIG. 2, in which the mouth 64 of said ladle is inan uppermost position for reception of hot metal, and an angular ordumping position in which the mouth 64 is approximately at the positionindicated at X in FIG. 2 to enable hot metal to be discharged by flowingfrom the ladle through said mouth. Obviously, the ladle can be rotatedthroughout 360 by the described mechanism, for servicing purposes.

Toward the right ends of the arms 52 (as viewed in FIG. 2) are integralbrackets 66 which are mounted upon and freely pivotal upon the shaft 40,thereby enabling said arms and the spur gear 14 carried thereby, to belowered, as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 2, to a point below andclear of the ring gear 16 on the ladle or to be raised to bring the spurgear 14 into meshing engagement with said ring gear, as indicated infull lines in 'FIG. 2.

The actuation of the arms 52 may be accomplished by any suitable means,the means shown in the drawings, however, comprising a double-actingfluid-pressure cylinder 68 having therein a piston 70 which, through apiston rod 72, pivoted to the ends of arms 52, gives rise to thementioned pivotal movement of said arms for the stated purpose.

Actuation of the piston 70 to operate the arms 52 arises from theintroduction into and exhaustion of fluid from the opposite ends ofcylinder 68 through pipe connections 68a and 68b in a well-understoodmanner, a hydraulic or pneumatic circuit to said cylinder being no partof this invention and, hence, not being shown in the drawings.

The ring gear 16 may advantageously be formed of opposing, spaced,circular pieces of angle-iron suitably riveted or otherwise fixed to theladle 18 as shown at 16a and 16b in FIG. 1, and the equivalent of teethmay be provided in said gear in the form of a series of similar studs160, located between the angle pieces 16a and 16b, the ends of the studsbeing suitably riveted or fixed into the radial flanges of said anglepieces.

Suitable means are preferably provided to lock the cars ladle in anupright or charging position to prevent rotation of the ladle when thecar is remote from or disconnected from the dumping mechanism. Thus, forexample, a locking device 174, suitable for use in both embodimentsdisclosed herein, but shown only in FIGS. 1 and 7, comprises a lockingfinger 176, integral with an enlarged end 178 of one of the hot-metalcars trunnions, and a locking fork 180 disposed between hearing lugs 182which are rigidly associated with bearing 24 of the cars trunnion. Thelocking fork 180 is integral with a cross-shaft 184 which extends toopposite sides of the truck 30 and is provided at opposite ends withhand levers 186 by means of which the shaft 184 and the locking fork 180may be rotated manually from a release position in which the fork 180extends upwardly, clear of engagement with the finger 176 as shown inbroken lines in FIG. 7, and a locking position in which said forkengages the finger 176 therewithin as shown in full lines in FIG. 7 tolock the ladle against possible rotation.

Ladle-dumping apparatus according to this invention would be located ata point where molten metal would be poured or dumped from the car. Inpractice, the car is loaded with the mouth 64 of the ladle in itsupright or charging position. If it is desired to pour some or all ofthe metal from the car by the use of'apparatus according to the firstembodiment, the car is moved, by suitable engine or other propulsionmeans, along the tracks 12 to a position, above the pit 10, wherein thering gear 16 is in alignment with the spur gear 14. Then, by operationof the cylinder 68, the arms 52, therefore in their retracted orlowermost position, are pushed up wardly to bring the spur gear 14 intoproper meshing engagement with the ring gear 16. Then, the lock 174 isreleased, whereafter the motor 32 is operated to tilt or rotate theladle 18 to bring the mouth 64 low enough to achieve the desiredpouringof molten metal from the ladle. Upon pouring of molten metal to theextent desired, the motor 32 is reversed to rotate the ladle back to itscharging position. The lock 174 is then locked to hold the ladle againstpossible rotation, whereafter the cylinder 68 is operated to lower thegear 14 to its retracted position. The car is then in condition to bemoved to a charging point or to another discharge or dumping point.

The second embodiment of this invention, illustrated in FIGS. 46,operates on the same broad principle as the first embodiment except thatthe dumping mechanism is disposed alongside rather than underneathtracks 12. The second embodiment also includes means enabling theprincipal operative parts of the dumping mechanism to be shiftedlongitudinally of the track to a limited extent to facilitate alignmentof the hot-metal car with the dumping mechanism. Other differences willappear from the following description:

In the second embodiment, the ladle 18 may be provided with a ring gearsuch as gear 16 of the first embodiment, but is shown as being provided,instead, with an arcuate gear 16x; and a spur gear 14 is provided, tocoact with the arcuate gear 16x to rotate the ladle sufficiently topermit the loading and discharging of molten metal therefrom. In thesecond embodiment, also, the means by which the spur gear 14 is rotated,as well as the means by which said spur gear is moved into and frommeshing engagement with the arcuate gear 16x, are somewhat different.Thus, the dumping mechanism of the second embodiment comprises anupright frame or stand preferably of suitable structural steel. Thelower ends of upright members 81 of said frame and of stays or struts 84(only one being shown) of said frame are embedded in a concrete slab 82.

Disposed between the uprights 81, and of a width materially less thanthe distance between said uprights, is an upright mounting plate 86supported for sidewise sliding motion upon crossrods 88 which extendthrough suitable bearings 90 at the top and bottom of the mounting plateso that the latter is supported firmly against any movement, exceptinglimited, translational sliding movement on the rods 88. Two rather long,horizontally disposed, similar screws 92 are suitably borne at theirends in the uprights 81 and arranged for rotation but held againstmaterial endwise movement. These screws thread crosswisely through themounting plate 86 toward the top and bottom of the latter and areconstrained to turn in unison by a sprocket chain 96 working onsprockets 98 and 100 which are keyed to said screws. A handcrank 94 iskeyed to the lowermost screw 92, enabling the screws to be turnedmanually to shift the plate 86, and the apparatus which it supports,sidewisely between the uprights 81.

The spur gear 14, in the second embodiment, is keyed to a shaft 102,which is rotatably carried within bearings 104 at the outer or free endsof a pair of spaced swing arms 106 which at their inner ends are bothkeyed to a common shaft 108 which is rockably carried in spaced bearings110, 112 and 114, all of which are suitably fixed rigidly to the side ofthe plate 86 nearest to the tracks 12. On the side of the mounting plate86 farthest from the tracks 12 is rigidly mounted a suitable reversiblemotor 116. The mounting plate 86 is provided with a cut-out portion 118permitting coaction of gears as hereinafter described, which gears arelocated some at one side and some at the other side of the plate 86.

A spur gear 120 keyed to the power take-01f shaft of motor 116 mesheswith and drives a larger spur gear 122, which is keyed to a sleeve shaft109 mounted for independent rotation on an intermediate portion of shaft108 which extends between the swing arms 106, and the rotation of thesleeve shaft 109, derived from the turning of the gear 122, operatesthrough plural similar sprocket chains 124 to turn shaft 102 and therebyturn spur gear 14. The sprocket chains 124 work on sprockets 126 keyedto sleeve shaft 109 and sprockets 128 keyed to shaft 102.

The swinging of the arms 106' to move spur gear 14 into and from meshingengagement with arcuate gear 16x, is accomplished by a gear arrangementwhich is disclosed herein as being manually operated. This geararrangement comprises a spur gear 130 located toward the bottom of acut-out portion 132 in the mounting plate 86. This spur gear is keyed toa shaft 134 supported in a suitable :bore or bearing in the plate 86 andprovided at its exposed outer end with a handcrank 136 keyed thereto.Keyed to shaft 108, between bearing brackets 110 and 112, is a segmentalgear 138, the teeth of which mesh with gear 130. Thus, by manualoperation of handcrank 136, the gears 130 and 138 operate in conjunctionwith arms 106 to move the spur gear 14 into and out of meshingengagement with arcuate gear 16x to rotate the ladle 18.

Suitable means are provided to assure that the gear 14 Will notunintendedly fall away from meshing engagement with gear 16x and, forthat purpose, the apparatus, as illustrated in the second embodimentherein, includes a pawl-and-ratchet arrangement wherein a ratchet wheel140 is keyed to shaft 134 and a releasable pawl 142 is pivoted tomounting plate 86 adjacent to said ratchet wheel in position to coactwith the teeth of the ratchet wheel to hold the arms 106 againstretraction when the gears '14 and 16x are in mesh. Releasing of pawl 142from engagement with ratchet wheel 140 permits retraction of the arms106 by reverse operation of the crank 136. If it is desired to avoidusing such a pawl-and-r-atchet arrangement, the gear 130 may be in theform of a worm and gear 138 may be in the form of a segment of awormwheel driven by such a worm, the pitch of the worm being such as tostrongly oppose reverse drive from the segment to the worm-wheel.

If the hot-metal car is not moved to a precise position on tracks 12 inwhich the arcuate gear 16'x will be in alignment with the spur gear 14,such alignment may be achieved by operation of handcrank 94 which,through the medium of the screws 92, will cause the mounting plate 86,with all the mechanism carried thereby, to shift in one or the otherdirection to bring about such alignment between the gears 16x and 14.

Obviously, the second embodiment may be provided with a ring gear suchas 16 or the first embodiment may be provided with an arcuate lgear suchas 16x; the choice depending largely upon the nature of car-servicingfacilities which may be available.

It should be understood that a given hot-metal car may be designed tohave its ladle rotated by either of the two embodiments disclosedherein, for it may be desirable to have said two embodiments installedin different places in a given plant. To that end, the ladle would beequipped with a ring gear 16, rather than a mere arcuate gear such as16x, thereby enabling the ladle to be rotated for servic- 6 ing anddumping either by the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 or by theapparatus illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that the present inventionmakes possible the realization of the several important objectshereinbefore set forth; also, that this invention may be embodied instructures somewhat different from those disclosed herein without,however, departing from the invention as set forth in the followingclaims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus, in a metal-treating plant, for transporting and dumpinghot metal, comprising, in combination, a stationary track resting uponthe ground in the metaltreating plant, a hot-metal car supported uponsaid track and movable thereon between remote points, a rotary ladle,constituting an essential part of the car, adapted for rotation about ahorizontal axis extending longitudinally of the 'car for laterallydischarging the ladles contents, a rotary transmission member on saidcar and drivingly connected to said ladle for imparting such rotation tothe latter, and rotary driving means, separate from said car, supportedon the ground adjacent to said track, and shiftable transversely of saidcar between a non-driving position, in which it is clear of interferencewith the car in the latters movement along said track, and a drivingposition in which it is in driving engagement with said transmissionmember to rotate the latter and the ladle, said rotary driving meansbeing disposed below said track and being shiftable upwardly to bring itinto driving engagement with said transmission member.

2. Apparatus, in a metal-treating plant, for transporting and dumpinghot metal, comprising, in combination, a stationary track resting uponthe ground in the metaltreating plant, a hot-metal car supported uponsaid track and movable thereon between remote points, a rotary ladle,constituting an essential part of the car, adapted for rotation about ahorizontal axis extending longitudinally of the car for laterallydischarging the ladles contents, a rotary transmission member on saidcar and drivingly connected to said ladle for imparting such rotation tothe latter, and rotary driving means, separate from said car, supportedon the ground adjacent to said track, and shiftable upwardlytransversely of said car between a non-driving position, in which it isclear of interference with the car in the latters movement along saidtrack, and a driving position in which it is in driving engagement withsaid transmission member to rotate the latter and the ladle; saidcombination further including a stand disposed below said' track, saidrotary driving means being supported on said stand, and shifting meanscarried by said stand, for shifting said rotary driving means upwardlyinto driving engagement with said transmission member.

3. Apparatus, in a metal-treating plant, for transporting and dumpinghot metal, comprising, in combination, a stationary track resting uponthe ground in the metaltreating plant, a hot-metal car supported uponsaid track and movable thereon between remote points, a rotary ladle,constituting an essential part of the car, adapted for rotation about ahorizontal axis extending longitudinally of the car for laterallydischarging the ladles contents, a rotary transmission member on saidcar and drivingly connected to said ladle for imparting suoh rotation tothe latter, and rotary driving means, separate from said car, supportedon the ground adjacent to said track, and shiftable transversely of saidcar between a non-driving position, in which it is clear of interferencewith the car in the latters movement along said track, and a drivingposition in which it is in driving engagement with said transmissionmember to rotate the latter and the ladle; said combination furtherincluding a stand disposed adjacent to said track, a mounting plate,carried by said stand and shiftable in parallelism to said track, saidrotary driving means being mounted on said mounting plate, firstshifting means coacting between said stand and mounting plate 7 for thusshifting the latter to align said rotary driving means with saidtransmission member, and second shifting means carried by said stand,for shifting said rotary driving means into driving-engagement with saidtransmission member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 'Iheimann Jan. 13, 1914 Lane May 21, 1918 Brassert Apr. 10, 1934 RandolphMar. 21, 1939 Brassert June 3, 1952 Hackney Nov. 1, 1955 'Hohne July 8,1958 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1908 Switzerland Feb. 1, 1933

